Railway-car



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 21 G. B. HUTGHINS. RAILWAY CAR.

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CARLETON B. HUTOHINS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,593, dated October 18, 1892. Application filed March 25, 1892. Serial No. 426,412. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARLETON B. HUTOHINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new'and useful improvements in railway-cars; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of a car especially designed for freight purposes,

constructed in tubular form of sheet metal, whereby I obtain a light but strong body of large carrying capacity, all as more fully hereinafter described.

. In the drawings, Figure 1 isa side elevation Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section through the body: thereof. Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on line 0a m, Fig. 1, the

of my improved car.

lower doors being closed. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective View illustrating the construct-ion; Fig. 6 is an; enlarged elevation of one of the platform-sup ports. Fig. 7'is a cross-section thereof on line and arrangement of the doors.

y y in Fig. 6.

In the present state of the art cars are constructed mostly of wood, rectangular in cross-L section, having a roof built thereon,with crosstimbers within the car and suitable doors at. For use in transporting oil tankthe sides. cars are used,in the form of aboiler,with suitable inlet and outlet apertures for the oil.

So far as I am aware, no car has ever been built for general freight purposes made of sheet metal in tubular form, of a single shellforming a tubular portion E and a securing or platform portion F, this platform portion 7 being formed in the line of a chord of the transverse circular body and this securing portion F resting upon the platform and being bolted thereto. \Vithin the body is a false bottom or platform G, of wood, which takes up the'wear of handling material in the car and prevents damage to the plates forming the body. It will be observed by the inspection of Fig. 2 that the overlapping portions of the plates form strengthening-ribs, starting at the base of the plates, passing entirely around the car-body, and which serve to materially strengthen the body against any interior or exterior strains.

H are a series of metallic securing-straps passing over the body centrally of each plate and riveted thereto, extending vertically from the center at the side to the outer edge of the platform and having the inwardly-extending feet I, which are bolted or otherwise secured to the platform. These straps hold the body firmly to the platform and prevent any possibility ofdisplacem ent even in case of accident, and being arranged centrally of the plates and riveted thereto they form an intermediate series of stiffening-ribs for the car-body to resist exterior or interior strain. This arrangement of overlapping joints with the straps riveted intermediate of the plates enables me to employ much lighter material than would otherwise be possible.

J are the ends of the car, having inwardlyextending flanges J riveted to the ends of the plates.

The doors I preferably form centrally of the'car, and to this end I cut away the central plate to form apertures K, extending up a suitable height to allow easy ingress of the trainmen. On each side of this central plate upon the inside are arranged the flanged guide-strips K, between which and the inner edge of the plate slidingly engage the segmental circular doors K one on each side. These doors are preferably of sufficient length to partly fill the doorways K, leaving an aperture K through which, if desired, a grainchute K may be inserted without the necessity of opening the door. I preferably arrange, however, means for closing these apertures K and this may usually consist of the sliding semicircular door L upon the outside of the car, engaging with its edges beneath the guides strips L, (shown in Fig. 2,)

this door being of suificient length to normally close both apertures K and so constructed that it may be slid to either side to open the door. If desired, however, two small doors may be employed for the apertures K At suitable points along the car I arrange apertures M, provided with sliding doors M, which aiford ventilation or which may be used for inserting testing-instruments to test the quality of the grain at various points. The ends are provided with apertures N, having sliding or hinged doors N, preferably of sufficient size to allow the ingress of a trainman and for ventilating. The arrangement of these apertures and their size may be left entirely with the car-builder and in accordance with the work to which the car is to be applied, the construction which I have shown in that particular being specially designed for grain-cars.

The run-board O is preferably supported upon cross-bars O of T metal, having the leg 0 and securing-feet as shown in Fig. 6, the cross-bars being secured to the shell of the car by riveting, bolting, or otherwise. I preferably arrange railings on either side of the run-board, for in case a traimnan should step from the ru nboard to the sharp inclined side of the car he would easily lose his footing, and the railing would. prevent such accidents. of the pipe -standards P, bifurcated at its lowerend, the bifurcations entering the slots P in the cross-bars formed on either side of the stem P and secured in position by means of the cross-bolt or rivet P passing through the bifurcations of the standard and through the stem, as shown in Fig. 7. The standards are united at the top by means of longitudinal railings Q. The central portion of the run-board cannot readily be supported from the shell on account of the doors, and I.

therefore truss it by means of a truss-rod R, passing at its ends through the standards on opposite sides of this section and passing through the central section to form the strut.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a railway-car, the combination of a platform and acylindrical metal body thereon, having its base flat and formed as a chord, and means for securing it to the platform, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-car, the combination of a platform and a cylindrical metal body composed of connected sheets bent to form a cylinder with the base formed as a chord, of end plates secured to the body and means for securing it to the platform,substantially as described.

3. In a railway-car, the combination of a platform, a cylindrical metal body composed of overlapping sheets riveted together in This railing I preferably make seams around the body, bent to form a base in the shape of a chord, and means to secure the body to the platform, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-car, the combination of a platform, a cylindrical metal body secured thereon, having apertures extending up from the platform, and circumferentially-sliding segmental doors for said apertures, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-car, the combination of a platform, a cylindrical metal body secured thereon, having segmental-shaped doorways at opposite sides, guides beside the doors, circumferentially-sliding doors for closing the lower part of the doorway, and independent means for closing the upper part of the doorway, substantially as described.

6. In a railway-car, the combination of a body composed of overlapping metal sheets riveted together in seams around the body and bent at the sides by cutting awaya sheet from the base upward, guides inside the body beside the doorway, segmental doors sliding in the ways, partially closing said doorways, and the sliding door L, sliding in outer guides extending over the top of the car and ofa length to normally overlap the top of the lower doors, substantially as described.

7. In a railway-car, the combination, with the cylindrical body, of the cross-bars 0, legs 0, and securing-flanges O and the run-boards on the cross-bars, substantially as described.

8. In a railway-car, the combination, with the cylindrical body, of the T-shaped crossbars bent to form legs O at the ends and the securing-flanges 0 formed by cutting 0d the stem of the T-bar and bending the head in line with the car-body, substantially as described.

9. In a railway-car, the combination, with the cylindrical body, of the T-metal cross-bars secured at the top, supporting the run-board and having apertures at each end on opposite sides of the stem of the T, standards bifurcated at their lower ends, engaging said apertures, a bolt or rivet passing through the bifurcations of the standard and the stem, and connecting railings between the standards, substantially as described.

10. A freight-car consisting of a truck, a horizontal cylindrical metal body having a fiat base, means for securing the body to the truck, and a reinforcement for the inner face of the flat base, substantially as described.

In testimony'whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARLETON B. IIUTOHINS.

Witnesses:

J AMES WHITTEMORE, M. B. ODOGHERTY. 

